Major Chromium browser allies include Microsoft, Samsung and Brave.
Google is loosening control over the core of its Chrome browser, a move that helps Microsoft, Samsung and Brave build competitors while advancing the search giant’s vision of the web.
Over the past six months, Google welcomed a new outside developer into the leadership of its Chromium project, the software that powers the similarly named browser. The Alphabet subsidiary is also granting outsiders access to its previously proprietary software development system and allows outside features even when Google doesn’t incorporate them into the flagship Chrome browser.
Chromium is open-source software, which means anyone can modify and use it. Even with open-source projects, however, outsiders can have trouble convincing organizers to accept their changes and additions, making it harder to contribute and benefit.
Google took pains to draw attention to the changes at the BlinkOn conference earlier this week. “It’s really cool to see so many people and groups with different priorities coming together and finding solutions that not only meet their individual agendas but also advance the common goal of improving the web,” said Danyao Wang, a Chrome engineer at Google.
Opening up to outside influence fits into Google’s broader strategy for the web. The allied-yet-competing Chromium-based browsers spread Google’s web technology, a software foundation for richly interactive web apps as opposed to static web pages and simple forms. Google sees that ability as critical to the future of the web, a vision that stands in stark contrast to Apple’s view. The iPhone maker doesn’t want web apps to inherit the same capabilities as mobile and desktop apps, a power expansion that threatens its rich iOS ecosystem.
